Indicating car seal



Oct I R. W. G-ATEWOOD INDICATING GAR SEAL Filed Sept. 10. 1923 Patented@ct. 7, i924.

re ns.

BIBOUIR-NE W- GATEWQQD, OLE NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RIBoURNn W. GATE woon, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements inIndicating Car Seals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indicating car seals.

The objectof the invention isto provide means whereby evidence will beshown if a railway car door he unlawfully opened and left so or openedand closed.

lVith the ordinary wire or metal strap seal, an unauthorized person maycut the wire or strap, take what goods he desires, then closing the doorand by adroitly joining the two ends of the severed wire or strap, thecar door will have no indication of being opened and closed. lVhen therailway car inspector sees that the car is apparently unopened and sochecks it, but on the contrary, when the car has arrived at itsdestination or many miles away, it is discovered that some goods havebeen abstracted and in the meantime the thief has had plenty of time tomake a get away, while in my invention, the opening of the car door isimmediately indicated so there is time to give the alarm andapprehendthe culprit before he can leave the premises or dispose of thestolen goods.

.In my invention I provide means where the seal may not be tamperedwith, also acts as a lock and adapted to have the ordinary wire or strapseal applied, additionally.

Further objects and advantages will be more fully described herein andspecifically pointed out in the annexed claim recourse being had to theaccompanying drawing forming a part of this specification in which:

Figure 1 is a portion of a box car and its sliding door showing myinvention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a plan of my device detached from the car.

Figure 3 is an edge view.

Figure 4. is a front view of the main casting or block with the coverplate removed to show the channels therein.

Figure 5 is a complete front view of my invention with the hasp or latchbar in correlative position.

Application filed September 10, 1.923.

INnIoATIne can seat.

Serial No. 661,833.

Figure 6 is a cross section of the main casting and the cover platetaken on the line 1, in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a portion of the hasp bar in plan or edge view, whenarranged with a ]OlI1l) or fulcrum near its right hand end.

Figure 8 is a plan or edge view of the latch bar or hasp showing theouter or left hand end thereof.

Figure 9 is afragmentary section of the;

main casting and the seal disc or check box flange shown in Figure 10.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary portion of the check box flange and the maincasting or block showing the recess for the key screw.

Figure 11 is an end view of the socket of the key. I 1

Figure 12 is a side view of the key.

Figure 13 is a perspective view ofthe check or seal disc receiver orbox.

In the drawing like reference numerals indicate similar parts in all theseveral views 1 represents the car sidesor body, 2 the door hangers, and3, the sliding door as in the ordinary manner. I

t is the main casting or block which is slotted to allow the'latch baror hasp 5 to transversely pass through it, as will be describedhereafter. To allow for the vertical motion of the car when running, Idivide the bar into two parts, that at 5 being fastened to the car doorby the bolts and the main portion 5 pivoted thereto by the pin 5 asshown in Figures 5 and '4'.

9 is a cover for the block or casting 4 and is provided with afenestration, orifice or window 6.

The block 4t and the cover plate 9*" is provided with holes 7 for thebolts or screws 8' which pass through the car sides and having the nuts,in the case of bolts), upon the inside of the car. I 9 is a transverseslot for the passage of the lock bar or latch 5. 9*, Figure 5, being awider slot to accommodate the movement of the triangular latch barholding lug ll, as will be described hereafter.

The bar 5 is providedwith a vertical fiattened slot or opening 10transversely through it for the passage of the check or seal disc, whichwill be mentioned later in connection end I with the check guideways orslots in the block 4. I

or hasp 5 for passing the wire or strap of an ordinary seal in the usualmanner.

11 is a slot at right angles to the hole 11 and parallel with the slot10 and is for the purpose of inserting a pin, (not shown), to enable thedoor 3 to remain closed when the car is in transit, or the triangularprojection or lug 11*, Figures 5 and 8, may be used instead, and whenthe bar 5 is at an angle, as shown at the left hand side of Fig ure 5,the lug will engage the outer or of the block. 4 and holds the door shutuntil the latch bar is raised. In order to adopt the latter method, itwill be necessary to widen the bar slot 9 to the width 9, Figure 5. I

12 is a slot or channel cast into the block or main casting 4 which hasan inclined upper portion, and a curved central portion terminating inthe vertical portion 12 at the bottom of which there is a rectangularorifice 13 passing entirely through the block, as shown in Figures 4 and6. The orifice 13 is normally closed by the cover plate 9", on theoutside of the car, and on the inside bythe flange 14 of the seal orcheck receiving drawer or box 14, a corresponding oritice being cut intothe sidesof the car so that the boX 14 may be reached from the interiorof the car for opening and closing the same.

1.5 is the indicating disc, seal or check composed of any desirablemetal having suitable characters, numbers or inscriptions thereon, asmay be desired.

16 is the entrance to the slot 12 and 12 for the check 15 and whenintroduced therein, falls down edgewise and comes to rest on the upperedge of the latch bar 5 when the bar is in the position shown in Figure5, the car door 3 being closed as shown in Figure 1.

The check or disc 15 then comes in alignment with the window or orifice6 and there remains and cannot fall outwards or pass through theopenings as it is slightly larger than the hole.

In the position shown in Figure 5, the check or disc 15 is visible fromthe outside of the car through the opening 6 and may assure the observerthat the car door has not been moved.

When the car door is moved to the right the slot 10 comes under andallows the check or disc to fall, passing the straight portion of theslot 12 and into the receiving box or drawer 14 upon the inside of thecar.

An employee of the railway or others, may now see that the hole isunoccupied by the check 15 and that the car door has been moved and maycommunicate the fact to the proper authorities and investigation made.

In Figure 4, I show by dotted lines a modified form of check or discchannels which I prefer and wherein 17 indicates straight groove orchannel and 18 a sloping entrance to the part 12 of the slot 12,likewise, a similar straight slot 21 is pro vided which is opposite thefirst named channel and has an upper angular part 19 and straightportion 21, the former being in staggeredrelation with the lower end ofthe angular portion 18 of the channel 17. This arrangement prevents anunauthorized person from pushing up the seal or check 15 by a pointedinstrument upwards while a, confederate opens the door, taking outgoods, and closing the same. If such is at tempted, the disc 15 willfall or roll into the angle end 19 of the slot 21 by rolling over thecorner 20, Figure 4, and fall into the boX or drawer 14, as before, theaperture 13, in which case would have to be extended and made longer asshown by the dotted lines in Figure 4.

The check or disc receiving box 14 is slidably fitted into the opening13 from the inside of the car and is prevented from being pushed too farby the flange or plate 14 and upon which flange there is a cast- 011sleeve 25 upon the inner portion of the same which has a threaded hole23 therein for the holding screw 24, Figures 6, 9 and 10, bored in itscenter.

The screw 24 passes through the flange 14 of the box 14 and partly intothe main casting or block 4 and firmly secures the same.

The screw 24 is normally below the edge of the sleeve 25 and the formeris provided with a triangularhead, as at 24, and is turned by a key orsocket wrench 26 having a similar recess 28 in one end which is slightlylarger than the head of the screw so that it may fit easily over it.

By this means, the screw 24 cannot be turned by any but its key oroperated in any other way to release the check box 14 unless theauthorized key be used if the car is left open when upon a siding.

My device is cheap and may be applied to any car and car door easily andquickly.

I claim:

In combination with a car and its door, of a receptacle on the car andprovided with an opening or window in the front portion thereof, a latchbar or hasp passing through said-receptacle and movably and slidablypositioned therein, a disc or seal normally resting upon said latch barand visible from the exterior of the car, and means for dropping saiddisc or seal out of view by the movement of said latch bar.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

RIBOURNE W. GAIEVVOUD.

